FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 4, 2000
Contact: Diane Thomas
(714) 834-6203
Representatives of
the County’s 23,501 Volunteers To Be Honored April
18
(Santa Ana) –
An 81-year-old credited with more than 4,000 hours of
volunteer service, a Vietnam veteran, and a volunteer
who bakes cookies to help troubled kids open up are some
of the 41 individuals to be honored April 18 by the Board
of Supervisors. This year’s honorees will be recognized
at the fourth annual County of Orange volunteer recognition
ceremony at 8 a.m. prior to the regular Board of Supervisors
meeting.
The ceremony’s honorees represent 23,501 volunteers
and 694,267 hours of service that are valued at nearly
$13.5 million in avoided costs for the County government.
The outstanding volunteers, student interns and reserves
represent 13 County agencies, departments and four external
groups.
Eighty-one year-old Jim Parker is a charter member of
the City of San Juan Capistrano’s Associated Senior
Action Program (ASAP) and has been a key member of the
program for eight years. He is the first volunteer to
achieve the milestone of 4,000 hours of service to the
city through this program which involves seniors in the
community and works closely with law enforcement personnel.
Parker has assisted with the Swallow’s Day parade,
the annual Holiday Tree Lighting program, Senior’s
Flu Shot Clinics, Storytelling Festival, and the funeral
service for Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Riches. In addition,
he is the co-coordinator of the Van Patrol, an organization
that performs vacation home checks, observes activity
in the city’s parks and assists in the issuing of
parking citations, in addition to other activities.
As of last March, Parker had recorded 4,279 hours of volunteer
service since 1992.
Sergeant Michael Lynn has spent most of his life in the
service of either his country or his county. After 14
years in the Marine Corps, Lynn transferred to the Army
and completed an additional 10 years of service before
being honorably discharged as a decorated Vietnam veteran.
In December 1990, Lynn was sworn in as a reserve deputy
sheriff for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department
and was soon a member of the Coroner Support Unit that
was struggling to establish itself as a functional part
of the department. Within a year Lynn was promoted to
Sergeant and it was his leadership abilities that made
the unit a productive part of the Coroner Division.
Today the Coroner Support Unit continues to expand as
Lynn can often be found at schools and gatherings throughout
the County showing off "Chuck the Truck" to
children as part of the Department’s drug education
program.
Since 1990, Lynn has volunteered more than 5,000 hours
to his community – more than 840 in 1999 alone.
Dyanne Gilliam began as a Volunteer in Probation in 1989,
giving Juvenile Hall Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) panel presentations.
"She is a dynamic public speaker who enjoys giving
back to at-risk youth and relates well to troubled adolescents,
having been one herself," said Diane Mata, Deputy
Probation Officer and volunteer coordinator.
In addition to her message of recovery through AA panels,
Gilliam has become known as the "Baking VIP (Volunteer
in Probation)." She said that cooking with the young
people she works with sets a comfortable stage for personal
talks. And, in addition to preparing baked goods, Gilliam
carts in bags of craft supplies during the holidays to
make ornaments and decorations. She also hosts pizza parties
for the youngsters on special occasions. As always, these
contributions are at her own expense.
The Board of Supervisors will greet the honorees at a
7:30 a.m. reception in the lobby of the Hall of Administration,
10 Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana. Certificates will
be presented during the Board meeting awards ceremony.
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